The Full Circle Cubs won the 2019 West Haven Little League championship this week, defeating the Brewers, 9-4, in the title game. The championship was the second in a row for the Cubs.
In the championship game, the Cubs jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the first inning with singles by Evan Jones and Jeremiah Kavanah. The Cubs added three more runs on in the third with Hudson Axelrod and Kavanah lacing singles. Axelrod was solid on the mound, keeping the Brewers scoreless until the 4th.
The Brewers scored two runs when Thomas Rolfe tripled, followed by the Brewers taking advantage of a pair of miscues by the Cubs to get within 5-2. In the top of the fifth, the Brewers started to rally. They got within 5-3 with one out and runners on the corners, but Kavanah came on to pitch and induced a double play turned by Jones.
The Cubs then tacked on four more runs in the bottom of the fifth. Axelrod walked, Jones tripled, Connor Hume and Christian Rivera-Bavaro singled to make it 9-3. Cameron Cruz led off the top of the sixth with a double for the Brewers, and Logan Truncone and Owen Fletcher singled, loading the bases with one out and the score 9-4. Kavanah then took a come backer to the mound, tossed to Jones at second, who then fired to Axelrod at first to end the game.
The Cubs opened the postseason with an 11-1 victory over the White Sox. Kavanah earned the win and had two hits. Aydan Vizcaya and Lucas Forgette had hits for the White Sox.
After the Brewers beat the A’s in a tight game to advance to the winner’s bracket final, the Cubs beat the Brewers, 3-2, to advance to the championship game. Jones and Cruz battled each other on the mound for their respective teams. Cruz struck out 10 in five innings, while Jones struck out 13 in six innings. Kavanah added two hits for the Cubs. Rolfe and Cruz lead the Brewers with two hits apiece
The A’s beat the White Sox in the losers’ bracket final to again play the Brewers. In a nine inning game, which took more than three hours, Brady Price singled home the winning run to send the Brewers to the championship game.